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1703: Ascension,
Oak Park, Illinois, USA

Mystery Worshipper:
PaterFamilias.The church:Ascension,
Oak Park, Illinois, USA.Denomination:
Roman Catholic, Archdiocese
of Chicago.The building:
A mid-sized cruciform Romanesque structure dating from the 1920s.
Its various rooms and spaces have undergone quite a bit of repurposing
over the decades, and an extensive renovation project was begun
in 2003. A concise history of the building can be found on the
church's website, including a description of mosaics and frescos
that, alas, no longer exist. The altar has been brought out
quite close to the congregation. For this service, the lights
were dimmed and the altar was surrounded by candles, icons,
and clay pots filled with sand (see below).The church:
This is a large parish with a fairly typical mix of social justice
outreaches, liturgical ministries, and social activities. Ascension
is known for having an excellent music program; their choir
has issued four CDs to date. They celebrate five weekend masses.The neighborhood:
Oak Park is a suburb on the western border of Chicago. It is
a racially diverse, largely middle-class community of about
50,000 residents. It is perhaps best known as the community
where the architect Frank Lloyd Wright began his career, and
there are several examples of his early work here. Ascension
is in a residential neighborhood with single-family homes and
tree-lined streets.The cast:
This type of service does not require clerical leadership, and
if any clergy were present, they were not in clerical garb.
None of the musicians were identified in the service leaflet,
and, as we were enjoined to silence both before and after the
service, I did not inquire. I suspect that the pianist and cantor
was music director David Anderson.The date & time:
Friday, March 6, 2009, 7.30pm.

What was the name of the service?
A Time of Prayer in the Spirit of Taizé.

How full was the building?
Full to overflowing.

Did anyone welcome you personally?
I arrived early, as I had anticipated a large attendance. I
was handed a candle and service leaflet as I entered, but, as
the leaflet stated, "Silence is observed by all prior to the
service for prayer and reflection."

Was your pew comfortable?
Fairly standard wooden pews, with pull-down kneelers (not used
in this service).

How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
Extremely quiet and reverential.

What were the exact opening words of the
service?
"Good evening and welcome" prior to a brief rehearsal of a couple
of songs the congregation would be singing in the service. The
first spoken words in the service were: "A reading from the
Gospel of Luke" (this after quite a bit of music). The one reading,
and a portion of the intercessions, were the only spoken parts
of this service.

What books did the congregation use during the
service?
Only the service leaflet.

What musical instruments were played?
Piano, oboe, cello, plus flutes and recorders of various sizes.

Did anything distract you?
The service began with several songs from Taizé. In the
third of these, the pianist signaled to the other musicians
to keep playing as he walked to the back of the church. There
were quite a few people standing in the rear, and he invited
them to the front where some seating was available. The other
musicians kept on playing, and we kept on singing.

Was the worship stiff-upper-lip,
happy clappy, or what?
Neither of these terms applies. This is a distinctive type of
worship developed in the ecumenical monastic community of Taizé,
in Burgundy, France. It was described in the leaflet as: "Gathered
in the presence of Christ, we sing uncomplicated, repetitive
songs, uncluttered by too many words..." We began by singing
three short refrains which we repeated over and over again.
Next, we sang Psalm 27 (with a Latin refrain) as three young
children assisted in lighting the congregation's candles. In
the cosmopolitan spirit of the Taizé community, at various
times in the service we sang in English, Latin, Greek and Spanish.
Then a lector read a lesson from Luke (Jesus telling his disciples
that he must suffer many things), first in English, then in
(I think) Polish. Two more Taizé songs were sung, during
which the congregation was invited to come forward and place
their candles in the clay pots mentioned above. Then followed
the "great silence" – fully 10 minutes of silence, "to
listen to the voice of God deep within..." Intercessions in
litany form followed, culminating in the Lord's Prayer and a
collect. The service concluded with "Prayer Around the Cross."
The wooden cross which had been set up in front of the altar
was laid horizontally on two stools; as we sang four more songs
(including one from the Iona
community in Scotland), members of the congregation were
invited to come forward and kneel in prayer while kissing, touching,
and pressing their foreheads against the cross.

Exactly how long was the
sermon?
There was none; remember, this is worship "uncluttered by too many words."

Which part of the service
was like being in heaven?
I have always loved the music of the Taizé community;
hearing so many voices singing this extraordinary music in such
a beautifully arranged worship space was indeed a foretaste
of heaven.

And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
It's been a rough winter in the Midwest, and the "great silence"
wasn't nearly as silent as I remember from a couple of years
back when I attended another Taizé service here, that
time in the summer – lots of folks still nursing their
winter colds, and quite a bit of coughing.

What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
The leaflet directed us to leave the church in silence. After
saying my prayers at the cross, I went back to my seat and joined
again in the singing. I decided to leave before the final song
was completed (we were invited to leave at any point during
the final songs). I lightly touched the shoulder of the woman
who had been sitting next to me for an hour and a half, whispered
"Peace," and left.

How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
There was none.

How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
10  This is a special service which Ascension offers on a monthly basis. But if they prepare their Sunday liturgies with the same degree of care, it would be a wonderful community to be a part of.

Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Absolutely.

What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
The beatific look of the young girl (7 or 8, I guess) who lit my candle.

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